This invention relates to radar beam steering and more particularly to a method and apparatus for randomly positioning a radar beam over a predetermined area.
While surveillance radar systems including electronically steerable antennas are generally known, if an electronic countermeasure (ECM) system can predict when a radar beam will radiate in a certain region, the ECM system can pinpoint the location to direct a jamming signal to the radar. Accordingly, in the deployment of surveillance radar systems, the effort to remain undetected by electronic countermeasures equipment can provide a substantial edge in the information gathering process. In order to make this process efficient and feasible, certain constraints must be imposed, namely: the radar system must be able to position the surveillance beam by electronic rather than mechanical means; and a process is required that can provide full coverage to the surveillance area but in an ECM defeating manner.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved method of positioning a radar beam.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvement in positioning the beam of a surveillance radar.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method for positioning a radar beam so as to render the radar relatively invulnerable from electronic countermeasures.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved method of providing random beam positioning of a scanned radar beam.